Are the 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates for real or will they fade down the stretch?

Now that the 2013 MLB All Star game is complete, many teams have decided to throw up the white flag and “wait til next year”. Others are gearing up and looking to acquire a few pieces of the puzzle for a playoff push. The best indication of where you team fits on the above spectrum is to see who is buying and who is selling come the MLB trade deadline on July 31st. Although MLB baseball tickets are not necessarily a big seller on the secondary ticket market, knowing which teams tickets will be in demand come time to chase the pennant can reap huge rewards. With that in mind we decided to breakdown the 2013 MLB playoff picture.

American League

The American League is filled with tight races in each of the 3 divisions. In the American League East, The Boston Red Sox currently have a 1.5 game lead over the Tampa Bay Rays. However, the AL East is far from a two pony show as the Baltimore Orioles and New York Yankees are also both within striking distance (not to mention in wildcard contention). The only team seemingly out of it is the Toronto Blue Jays – currently 12.5 games out (9 games in the wildcard).

In the AL Central, the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Indians are in a heated race. The Tigers are currently ahead by 1.5 games but a lot of things can change depending on what happens at the trade deadline. The rest of the AL Central including the Kansas City Royals, Minnesota Twins and Chicago White Sox are pretty much out of it and are expected to be sellers at the trade deadline.

In the American League West, there is also apparently a 2 team race for the division crown. The pesky Oakland A’s currently have a 2 game advantage over the Texas Rangers. However, the Texas Rangers are expected to be big players in the trade deadline frenzy. Rumor has it that they are close to landing Chicago Cubs ace Matt Garza. The rest of the west, including the Anaheim Angels, Seattle Mariners and Houston Astros are out of it and will likely be gutted for prospects.

National League

The National League playoff picture isn’t quite as complicated as it is in the American League. The National League East is already seemingly locked up by the Atlanta Braves. The Braves currently have a 6.5 game lead over the Philadelphia Phillies and Washington Nationals. While 6.5 games is far from insurmountable, the Phillies nor the Nationals are not likely to add any significant pieces to make a playoff push. In fact, the Phils may actually be sellers.

In the NL Central we actually have a really interesting pennant race. The St. Louis Cardinals and Pittsburgh Pirates thus far have been the 2 best teams in the MLB. The Cardinals have a slim 2.5 game lead but the young, upstart pirates show no signs of fading down the stretch. The Cincinnati Reds are also a strong team sitting 13 games above .500 but are 4.5 games back. The Chicago Cubs and Milwaukee Brewers, however, are done and will be unloading talent and salaries before the trade deadline.

Lastly, in the weak NL West the Arizona Diamondbacks, Los Angles Dodgers and perhaps the Colorado Rockies are still deciding who deserves a change to lose in the first round this post season. The Dodgers are just 1.5 games behind the Dbacks and are likely the only team willing to add payroll and talent. The San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres are certainly on the wait till next year path.

It should come as no surprise that this week we once again find the NCAA Tournament atop our Top 10 list of events. The NCAA Tournament, and in particular the Final Four, is one of the most watched events in the country. It’s been a pretty incredible tournament so far with plenty of upsets including the #9 seeded Wichita State Shockers advancing along with #4 seeds Michigan and Syracuse and the #1 overall seeded Louisville Cardinals. The Georgia Dome will surely be rocking when the Final Four begins on Satruday (4/6/2013).

Other than the impressive numbers from the NCAA Tournament, notable inclusions on this week’s list are the multiple MLB teams. With the 2013 MLB opening day today, interest in baseball tickets has certainly spiked. Of the top 10 events this week, 5 are from the world of baseball.

Top Events Week 12 (3/25/2013 to 4/1/2013)

1. NCAA Tournament Final Four

The NCAA Tournament Final Four field is set with top seeded Louisville joined by Wichita State Shockers (#9), Michigan Wolverines (#4) and Syracuse Orange (#4). Significant traffic is flowing in from fans looking for tickets to the semi-finals and championship game. As such, full session passes are a popular item.

2. One Direction

One Direction keeps chugging along as a major force in the event ticket industry. As soon as the NCAA Tournament is over, expect 1D to resume their reign as the top event at Tickifieds.com

3. Chicago Cubs

The baseball season is underway and despite the fact that the Cubs are coming off a 100 loss season, fans are still looking to enjoy summertime fun at the “Friendly Confines” of Wrigley Field.

4. John Mayer

John Mayer will be spending the summer alongside former American Idol winner Philip Phillips. Ticket demand has been surprisingly strong especially for shows in Atlanta (Lakewood Amphitheater), Colorado (Red Rocks Amphitheater) and Milwaukee (SummerFest).

5. New York Yankees

It could be a looooong year for Yankees fans as age and injuries are really starting to catch up to them. If the Yankees can stay in the race for the AL East title at least fans know that ownership will continue to open up their wallets!

6. Washington Nationals

After a disappointing conclusion to the 2012 season, Nationals fans are looking forward to a full year with pitching phenom Stephen Strasburg and young slugger Bryce Harper. The future is very bright for this team!

7. Pitbull and Kesha

Hip hop mogul Pitbull is teaming up with ke$ha on their 2013 Tour. This party duo is sure to draw strong interest from their legions of dedicated fans- especially for those hard to get Meet and Greet Passes. Popular shows thus far are Atlanta (Lakewood Amphitheater), Holmdel (PNC Bank Arts Center) and, surprisingly, Albuquerque (Hard Rock Pavilion).

8. Kansas City Royals

A bit of surprise here but fans are excited about the KC Royals chances this year. While they may not have the talent of the Detroit Tigers, they Royals have quietly assembled themselves a nice team that should be in contention for at least a wildcard spot.

9. Boston Red Sox

Much like the Yankees and Cubs, Boston Red Sox fans aren’t overly optimistic about their chances this year but that doesn’t seem to stop them from going to games.

10. Big Time Rush

Nickelodeon stars Big Time Rush (aka BTR) will be heading out on tour this summer with emerging pop star Victoria Justice on the 2013 “Summer Break Tour.” The tour announcement came just a few short days ago so expect these guys to creep up the ranking next week.

This top 10 list is compiled from internal search data from Tickifieds.com and organic traffic from search engines. Search terms are ranked by using a combination of both sources of search data.

After nearly a full year dominating the Tickifieds Top 10, someone finally took down the king One Direction. This week, the NCAA Tournament upset the boy wonder band 1D to claim the top spot in this weeks Top 10 list. To celebrate this glorious occasion, we decided to do a special two part blog post. Not only will we detail the top overall events this week, we will also break down the Top 10 NCAA Tournament Games that will take place this week. This includes the opening round “First Four” as well as the 2nd and 3rd round match ups that will take place on March 21st and March 22nd.

Top NCAA Tournament Sessions (Rounds 2 and 3)

I may be a bit biased, but demand for Session 1 of the Detroit NCAA Tournament games has been crazy. It’s really not that much of a surprise given the fact that Michigan State virtually has a home game but Valparaiso also travels well. The Crusaders are just a state away and will be looking to pull off another big upset with the Bryce Drew coached team.

This session is packed with typical underdog schools all with a reasonable chance at making it to the Sweet 16. Throw in the fact that the Butler Bulldogs are looking strong and Indianapolis is only a few short hours away, and it makes perfect sense that this session comes in at #2.

Dayton Ohio is the hub of college basketball right now. the tournament kicks off the “first four” there today and follows up with a dynamite session that includes in-state team Ohio State and Notre Dame.

The Tournament selection committee was kind to the Michigan Big 10 schools. Not only do you have the Michigan Wolverines with a relative home game in Auburn Hills but you also have fan favorite VCU all in the same session.

Not a whole lot to be excited about here outside of #1 seeded Gonzaga. The Zags are finally starting to get the respect they deserve and were rewarded with a game within a reasonable distance from Spokane.

There has not been much interest in the Austin Sessions of the NCAA Tournament and probably for good reason- Not really any local nor very good teams. However, UCLA and Florida do have strong fan bases that have kept Session 2 on our radar.

The St. Louis Cardinals did it again and will face the San Francisco Giants in the 2012 NLCS.

The St. Louis Cardinals did it again. Heading into the ninth inning down by a score of 7-5, the Cardinals rallied for 4 runs to knock off the Washington Nationals and advance to the 2012 NLCS against the SF Giants. The Cardinals, who weren’t expected to be a playoff team following the departure of Albert Puljols, continue to find ways to win. As a Chicago Cubs fan I find it hard to swallow that the Cardinals can continue to find guys like Daniel Descalso and Pete Kozma to come through in the clutch and get the job done. I can hate the Cardinals but it hard not to look at the Cardinals as a model of sustained success. That said, Go Giants!

In the American League, Justin Verlander and the Detroit Tigers knocked out the Oakland A’s with a dominant Game 5 performance. Verlander was a beast throwing a complete game giving up only 4 hits and striking out 11. The Tigers will face the New York Yankees in the 2012 ALCS. The Yankees beat the Baltimore Orioles in Game 5 of the ALDS behind a stellar performance by CC Sabathia. CC also threw a complete game 4 hitter but ended up giving up a run. The Yankees will host game 1 tonight (Saturday 10/13/2012).

The AL and NL Division Series is underway….next up the Championship Series!

The wildcard games are over and that means it’s time for the American (AL) and National League (NL) Division Series. In the AL, the Baltimore Orioles upset the Texas Rangers to advance to the ALDS against the hated New York Yankees. The first game of the series will take place tonight (Sunday October 7th, 2012) in Baltimore. The other side of the bracket is a match-up between the AL Central Champion Detroit Tigers and the AL West Champion Oakland A’s. With no need to wait for a wildcard game, the Tigers are already out to a 2-0 lead. One more win for Detroit and they will advance to the American League Championship Series (ALCS).

In the National League, the St. Louis Cardinals took down the Atlanta Braves and have moved on to face the Washington Nationals. Game 1 of the NLDS took place earlier today with the Nationals edge the Cards 3-2 to take 1-0 lead in the series. In the other NLDS series, the Cincinnati Reds took game 1 over the San Francisco Giants by a final of 5-2. Game 2 will be tonight in San Francisco.